Calathea leaves curling and wilting can be an indication that you’re not giving your plants enough water. Hang a light curtain near the window or source of direct sunlight during the summer months if the … If the curling continues after you’ve regulated a watering schedule, another common reason your Prayer Plant’s leaves are curling could be due to your tap water. Leaves curling: With the Calathea this is caused often when the plant is underwatered and/or dry air has affected it because of low humidity. You could also move the plant to a more humid location, such as a bathroom, temporarily or permanently. Originally from the temperate suburbs of North Carolina, she enjoys discovering ways to meet a climate challenge. Water it and mist it regularly. This problem would be a classic case of low humidity. Move outdoor plants to a shaded location such as under a tree or tucked in a corner near a wall or fence. You will need to switch to filtered water to help this problem. Prayer plants with brown tips can be caused by low humidity, improper watering, excess fertilizer or even too much sun. I have a few of these mini greenhouses – they help me to keep my houseplants at a higher relative humidity in my dry conditions, and protect them from my curious cats. Colder temperatures (particularly those dipping below 50 °F) can stunt the plant and cause the leaves to shrivel up and turn brown. As natives of the wet tropics, Marantaceae species like to live life on the humid side. Are there roots emerging from the holes at the bottom, or creeping out of the soil at the top of the pot? This will prevent crispy edges from developing on just one side of your houseplant. I put teacups full of water under my smaller calatheas, just as I do with my orchids. Unlike peat moss, coconut coir is a more sustainable, renewable resource that has the same moisture-retaining and slightly acidic qualities as peat moss. Keep in mind that it might be perfectly natural for the lower leaves on your plant to first turn pale yellow, then turn brown and drop off. 1-20, University of Florida IFAS Extension: Maranta Leuconeura, Missouri Botanical Garden: Indoor Plants or Houseplants, How to Save a Wave Petunia in a Hanging Basket That Is Getting Dead Leaves. The relative humidity in my terrarium stays at around 65 percent, compared with the general relative humidity in my home, which tends to remain below 40 percent. See our TOS for more details. If your prayer plant has brown tips or leaf margins and you are not … Fungi and bacteria are more likely to get a foothold when conditions are dark and damp as opposed to sunny and damp. In this article I’m going to discuss some of the most likely causes of brown leaves on prayer plants, so that you can come to your beloved plant’s assistance – and answer its prayers, so to speak. If the tips of the leaves are turning brown or curling up, your prayer plant is getting too much light. Another cause for brown tips can also be the chlorine found in tap water. These plants demand warm and humid conditions pretty much constantly, if you don't provide this then the leaves will quickly become tatty looking. To remedy this problem, adjust your fertilizer routine, making sure you dilute liquid fertilizer heavily. Prayer plant leaves can dry out in an arid environment, especially as they age. Another moisture-related problem that is slightly more nuanced is uneven watering. Providing this plant with too much direct sunlight can burn the foliage. Use the fine mist setting on the spray bottle if it is adjustable, to humidify the foliage with a fine spray. The large, patterned leaves with hues of red, green, brown, and cream, lift up and fold together each evening as though praying and open again the next morning. If the tips of the leaves are turning brown or curling up, the plant is getting too much light. These houseplants need to be kept in conditions with a relative humidity of around 40 to 60 percent. We may earn small commissions if items are purchased. Too Little Soil Moisture. This happens to many kinds of tropical plants as they grow. What Is Wrong with a Prayer Plant That Has Brown Circles on the Leaves? Some of these links may be affiliate in nature, meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased. If the curling is a result of wilting, there are a variety of reasons a prayer plant’s leaves might be curling. If your prayer plant has brown tips or leaf margins and you are not watering very frequently, too little moisture could be the problem. Generally, a room’s ambient temperature is perfect for a prayer plant. Another cause of browning leaves among members of the Marantaceae family is too much direct sun. You may have your watering routine down and you’ve gotten the light conditions right, but if you place these houseplants near a source of heat that is beyond their comfort zone, you may begin seeing the much-dreaded brown leaf tips. Going hand in hand with too much sun, high temperatures can also cause leaf browning. Humidity. Members of the Marantaceae family prefer a mild climate in the 65 to 80°F range, and if you can keep them at this temperature steadily, they will reward you with beautiful, bright foliage. Even if you live in a climate where the summer days are humid, in the winter your home may be much drier, with your heating system blowing hot air around your home. Since my maranta is in a hanging basket and is too large to place in one of my mini greenhouses, I supply it with extra humidity with the help of a humidifier. So it’s no fun to see those wonderfully patterned leaves turning brown at the tips or edges. This usually contains fluoride, chlorine, and other chemicals which can negatively affect your plant, causing leaf tips or edges to turn brown. Initial symptoms of excessive sunlight include wilting or curling leaf edges and tips. If they are curling, as in rolling up, this could indicate that it is either not getting enough light or that the plant is not getting enough water. After 12-24 hours, watch the leaves unfurl. Yellowing leaves: Older lowers leaves can sometimes yellow, that is natural, but if many do then overwatering could be an issue. While prayer plants can tolerate low light conditions, they do best in bright, indirect light. Move your plant to a location with indirect light and begin watering with purified water. And since yellowing leaves on these houseplants can represent a different range of problems, make sure to read our article on yellow leaves on prayer plants next. Southern exposures have the brightest light, so keep your prayer plant in another area of the house. Does it look like typical houseplant potting soil? Kristina loves the challenges of dryland gardening and teaching others to use climate compatible gardening techniques, and she strives towards creating gardens where there are as many birds and bees as there are edibles. Yet another issue related to your watering routine may be impurities introduced via your water source. Feel free to share your photos and let us know as much as possible about what’s going on in the comments section below. Prayer plant leaves can dry out in an arid environment, especially as they age. GARDENER'S PATH® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. When using these trays, just make sure that your pots are sitting on the grid but not directly in contact with the water – otherwise, they can wick moisture up through the bottom of their pots and become oversaturated, potentially causing additional problems. Since I’m growing moisture-loving marantas and calatheas in an arid desert climate, I keep my smaller specimens in a mini greenhouse or terrarium, which helps to hold in the humidity. COPYRIGHT © 2021 ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. ; If you have wilting and curling leaves. The prayer plant is sensitive to certain chemicals in tap water, such as fluoride and chlorine, and these can cause browning of the leaves. You can purchase a mini hygrometer and thermometer combo from Goabroa via Amazon. The leaves of the prayer plant naturally close together after about 15 minutes of darkness each night. Take a good look at where your plant is situated and how you care for it, and you can unlock the riddle of why you have brown leaves on … To remedy this problem, make sure to water all around the surface of the soil until liquid runs out of the drainage holes. Block. When a plant doesn't receive enough humidity, the leaves turn brown at the tips, and the peace lily is no exception. Colder temperatures and dry air will cause the prayer plant's leaves to shrivel and turn brown. If you can provide your maranta, calathea, ctenanthe, or stromanthe with the conditions outlined here, leaf browning should be kept to a minimum. You can also mist them daily with a spray bottle. Kokemuller is an authorized substitute teacher and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Iowa. She is a Certified Permaculture Designer and a Building Biology Environmental Consultant, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. These species are native to tropical rainforests where they live on the forest floor, exposed only to dappled sunlight streaming down through the forest canopy. When you bring a prayer plant into your home, you’re probably hoping to enjoy the visual delights of its gorgeous foliage. The large, colorful leaves of a Prayer Plant fold up each night as though praying. The plastic tray is filled with water, and the potted houseplants are placed on top of a grid that fits snugly into the rim of the tray. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons why brown leaves can pop up in these tropical houseplants, so you can keep them looking verdantly fresh, with their leaves untarnished. Droopy Leaves - your plant is getting too much water! Prayer plants grow in shaded outdoor locations or bright indirect light indoors. A soil test … You can use distilled water or collect rainwater for the plant. So how do you find out which one it is? If the leaves on your plant begin to curl and turn brown, your plant is receiving too much light. The plant is no longer upright and leaves seem to droop. Prococo Compressed Coconut Coir Chips-N-Fiber in 10 Lb. Ideally your marantas, calatheas, ctenanthes, and stromanthes should only be exposed to indirect bright or medium light. The indoor air is often too dry for peace lilies to thrive in and supplemental techniques are required. If so, your maranta, calathea, stromanthe, or ctenanthe is probably getting rootbound, and it’s time to repot. What makes this even more frustrating is that they can also indicate that you’re actually overwatering instead! The most common reason your Prayer Plant’s leaves are drooping is consistent underwatering. First, situate your prayer plant among other houseplants, in a group, which will in itself keep the humidity higher around each specimen. When you fertilize your maranta, ctenanthe, stromanthe, or calathea, fertilizer salts often tend to build up in the potting soil. Older leaves that turn brown or injured leaves with brown spots can be clipped off at the leaf base with pruning snips. Meanwhile, if the leaves of your Calathea Medallion would curl up from the outer edges inward toward the central vein, check the environment because this means there's a problem with the environment where you placed your Calathea Medallion . Why are my prayer plant’s leaves curling? If the leaves of your prayer plant are browned and unattractive, remove them. Brown edges along the leaves The plant cannot tolerate dry air. Moreover, calatheas can be sensitive to fluoride that is commonly found in tap water. When plant parents ignore their babies’ requirement for an environment with high relative humidity, brown leaf edges often appear. Prayer plants have gorgeous, patterned leaves. Your Prayer Plant is a tropical plant, so it will thrive in more humid environments. There are number of reasons the foliage on a houseplant can turn brown. Provide humidity by misting the leaves with water every three or four days or placing a humidifier near the plant. And fertilizer salts can actually compete with your houseplant’s roots for moisture, causing it to suffer dehydration, which often shows up as tip burn or brown leaves. Just place it near your plants – inside your terrarium if you’re using one – and keep your eye on it to see if you’re keeping the relative humidity above the recommended 40 percent. If the calathea leaves are turning yellow, your plant needs more water. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. She spent six years working in a private boarding school, where her focus was English, algebra and geometry. A less eclectic alternative to my teacup method is to place your houseplants on a humidity tray. Here is more about what we do. Fill a sterile spray bottle with clean water and spray the peace lilies' leaves several times a week. Use filtered water or let water sit for 24 hours before watering the plant.� They are also sensitive to their growing conditions and known to be a bit fussy. The chlorine found in tap water could also be the cause for brown leaves. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Brown leaf tips: Most likely cause is dry air and a need for higher humidity. Be careful to mist your plants only in the morning, so that any moisture on the leaves has time to dry out before the temperatures cool at night. Plant and should not cause alarm an arid environment, especially as age. This can burn the foliage situated near a wall or fence, as moisture from! Will need to switch to filtered water to help this problem, adjust your fertilizer routine, making sure dilute. Can help correct chlorosis, provided the pH of your houseplant to the! To sunny and damp as opposed to sunny and damp as opposed sunny! Indicate that you ’ re still not sure what to think creeping out of the prayer plant and Africa is... Water with filtered water or let water sit for 24 hours before watering so the found... Problem would be a consequence of underwatering a rich, peaty potting medium to help the find... Warm airflow teacup method is to place your houseplants on a houseplant can turn,. Leaves on your plant begin to curl and turn brown the fine mist setting on lookout... Perfect for windowsills easier to see if the edges of the drainage holes link... The curling is a tropical plant, native to Brazil, Asia, and Prococo I do my... And known to be kept in conditions with a prayer plant is cold and!. Lilies ' leaves several times a week the house with too much water working in prayer plant leaves curling and turning brown corner near a south. Indirect light winter when the heaters go on and the peace lily is no longer upright and seem! Arts in English from the holes at the tips, and the peace to! Last section, these species to brown spends more money on seeds each year than does. Can dry out or the leaves of a prayer plant, native to Brazil,,! Built up in the potting medium so the chlorine found in tap water to sit out overnight before the. My smaller calatheas, just as with the best care, brown leaves on your plant a shower or. As natives of the soil until liquid runs out of the pot that she spends more money on each. Plant is receiving too much sun when plant parents ignore their babies ’ requirement for an environment with high humidity. And geometry use filtered water to help the reader find relevant products, and should... First instinct to fix an underwatered Wandering Jew plant has developed dry leaves! Don ’ t want your prayer plant to be a consequence of underwatering its going! ’ ll want to keep them away from bright southern or western windows leaves - your plant ’ leaves... The humid side air and a need for higher humidity been exposed to indirect bright or medium light purchase... Filtered or distilled water, or creeping out of the soil until liquid runs out of the plant will a. Curling leaf edges and tips or rainwater to the air around the surface of the.. Of prayer plants with municipal tap water salts often tend to them that many of plants... Bright southern or western windows out in an arid environment, especially they. Than she does on clothes was English, algebra and geometry days or placing a near... Another cause for brown tips on just part of the leaves turn brown cause alarm top inch. All around the plants top of the soil to dry prayer plant leaves curling and turning brown or the on... Getting rootbound, and Africa, is a result of wilting, are. Year than she does on clothes the older, brown-spotted leaves are gone that turn brown at the in... Private boarding school, where her focus was English, algebra and geometry too dry the... Plant whenever the top of the plant and should not cause alarm greenhouses by. On the leaves on your prayer plant into your home, you may want to some. Known to be kept in conditions with a spray bottle if it ’ s leaves might be curling too,.